07 January 2021
On 4 January the Government announced further national lockdown measures. The full details can be found on the Government website.
The main requirement of the restrictions for those living in England is to stay at home. You may only leave your home for specific reasons as detailed within the Government guidance. Travel is only permitted under specific circumstances and even then the advice is to stay local wherever possible. This includes travelling by boat. You should not be making short trips or breaks on your boat for leisure purposes, these are classed as non-essential journeys.
Travelling on the waterways should be limited to essential use only. Boaters who are not currently occupying their boat should not take short overnight breaks on their boat during the period. Those living aboard are advised to limit their navigation, moving only a minimal amount to access essential facilities or services when necessary. Our COVID-19 information for liveaboard boaters has details of local services which remain open.
Leaving your home to exercise is permitted once a day provided relevant guidelines are followed. We ask that anybody wishing to exercise on the Broads is mindful of social distancing with anybody they come into contact with and to be aware of the impact on emergency services should they get into difficulty.
Local police including Broads Beat will be undertaking patrols to ensure that the lockdown restrictions are being followed in the Broads.
| Activity | Guidance |
|---|---|
| Overnight stays on boats | Essential travel only during the lockdown – travel on waterways and overnight stays are only permitted where the boat is your permanent residence or it is necessary for work, education or similar reasons. |
| Boat maintenance | Travel to maintain your boat is not allowed during the National Lockdown, except in case of emergencies. |
| Overnight stays in holiday lets | No overnight stays outside of local area, unless necessary for work, education or similar reasons. |
| Canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding, sailing and other exercise | These forms of exercise are allowed during the lockdown subject to social contact rules.Outdoor recreation or exercise should be done locally wherever possible, but you can travel a short distance to do so if necessary (for example, to access an open space).You should only leave the house to exercise once a day.See more information on the British Canoeing website. |
| Angling | An updated news release from the Angling Trust (07 January) states that recreational angling is now allowed as a form of exercise during the National Lockdown.The advice from the Angling Trust is that you should ‘only fish locally’ and ‘if you have no local fishing available then you will have to take your daily exercise in other ways’.Overnight fishing is not allowed.The Authority and our partners at Norfolk Police urge anglers to stay in their local area if they wish to go fishing, including if they choose to do so from a boat.You can read more information on the Angling Trust website. |
Further advice and guidance is available on the Broads Authority website
Coronavirus (COVID-19) information (broads-authority.gov.uk)
